Managing Weight Loss While on the Candida Diet

byAdmin - Cynthia PerkinsonMay 1, 2009

Losing some weight initially is pretty common when someone begins the Candida diet and most people usually welcome the loss. However, sometimes it can be problematic for some people like our friend John, who submits the following question:

Dear Cynthia, I purchased your book, Candida Secrets, and found it very informative. However, I don’t see anything about weight loss on this diet unless I missed it. I have a mild case of Candida and have been on the diet 7 weeks. I have lost 23 lbs during that time and I am very drawn looking. I am going to stop my diet because of losing so much weight .Do you cover weight loss in you book ? I am not leveling off, just keep losing. John

Hi John, No I don’t have anything about weight loss in the Candida Secrets book, but now that you bring it up, I will be sure and add a section to address this issue in my next update. Thanks for the suggestion. (Update 2012 – Candida book now contains info on managing weight loss.)

Although weight loss is pretty typical at first, after a while there is usually some leveling off. Seven weeks may not be long enough for leveling off to have occurred.

There are a variety of reasons that weight loss happens on the Candida diet:

Sugar and all foods that break down into sugar are what gets stored as fat in the body, and these foods are now eliminated.

You’re usually eating less than you used too.

You’re eliminating sugar and refined foods. Sugar and refined foods upset the body’s hormones, endocrine system and metabolism, which often results in weight gain. So when they are removed the body is readjusting itself.

You’re reducing carbohydrates. Too many carbohydrates, even complex ones, give the body too much sugar and interfere in metabolism. When reduced, then metabolism improves.

Since many of the foods eliminated from the diet while on the Candida diet are common allergens, you’re likely to be eliminating some foods that you are allergic to or sensitive to. Food sensitivities and allergies are often at the root of weight gain, so when the food is eliminated the weight comes off.

Here are a few steps that can be taken to minimize weight loss when following the Candida diet:

First of all it’s important that you consume enough calories. I would like to emphasize, a low-carb diet should not be low-calorie, and you should not feel hungry. Eat as much protein and fat as you need to feel satiated. If the three meals a day is not enough, then eat more often.

When you reduce carbs and your body starts burning fat for fuel instead of glucose then you need to provide it with lots of fat. If fat is not present in the diet, then it is going to burn whatever you have stored in fat cells. If you provide it with lots of fat through the diet, it will burn that fat instead of body fat. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, you won’t want to increase your fat intake too much until after you have lost the desired weight.

Although sugar and foods that break down into sugar are what gets stored as fat, if we increase foods that are high in calories it can help increase weight to some degree. So eat more food and eat more often.

If seeds and nuts are tolerated, then add sunflower seeds, walnuts, macadamias, pecan and almonds, to the diet. These foods are all high in calories.

Add a little quinoa and/or wild rice to the diet. Neither of these are actually grains. Quinoa is a chenopod similar to spinach, and wild rice is a marsh grass. However, they are both high in carbs, which will feed Candida, so they must be used sparingly. Put nut butter, butter, coconut oil or avocados on top of them to increase calories.

Increase usage of healthy oils like coconut oil, walnut oil, olive oil, macadamia oil or avocado oil. Put them on your veggies and meat. Coconut oil is also an antifungal.

Salt can make you retain water which results in weight gain, but not real fat gain.

Eat bigger and fattier portions of meat.

If you tolerate fruit, add a serving of a low-sugar fruit to your menu each day. Be sure to eat them after your meat and veggies to reduce their impact on the yeast, blood sugar and insulin.

Avocados are high in calories. Add a little oil or yogurt to them, and this increases their calorie content even more.

Although I don’t advocate the use of dairy products on a daily basis, you could eat a serving here and there of full-fat yogurt. Yogurt does contain lactose (milk sugar) so it must restricted.

hi there i have been on the candida diet for 6 weeks now and i have actually gained weight (fat on my thighs, it’s not just bloat) and my boated sold torso hasn’t budged at all. it seems my symptoms have just stalled in their status.. i’m on olive leaf and pau darco too.. any tips? i’m feeling very disheartened!

Yes, it’s pretty unusual for someone to gain weight on the Candida diet. My guess is that it is probably the result of something else like hypothyroidism or food sensitivities. You can read more about them at the following links:

If improvement in symptoms stall after a period of time, that usually means that the strain of Candida one carries has mutated and become resistant to the antifungals the person is taking. I discuss this issue in my book Candida Secrets:

6 weeks is not a long time to be working on this issue. It often takes many months and even years. I know that’s very discouraging to hear, but unfortunately that is the reality of the situation. Candida is extremely hardy and resilient.